WHEN it comes to a combination of work rate and athleticism, two names that jump off the page in the 2025 AFL Women’s Draft are Imogen Trengove and Lucy Waye. The South Australian pair are opponents at SANFL Women’s level, but will become teammates at the national championships.

While bearing a lot of similarities, they also have points of difference, and this article is designed to take a deep dive into both of them and see what makes each individual stand out in their own right.

PLAYER VITALS

Imogen Trengove		Lucy Waye
Woodville-West Torrens	Club	West Adelaide
South Australia	State	South Australia
25/04/2007	DOB	07/06/2007
165cm	Height	166cm
Forward/Wing	Position	Forward/Midfielder

QUOTES

Peter Williams (Rookie Me Central Chief Editor)

“Trengove’s work rate and ability to get contest to contest is superb, and she got her chance as a bottom-ager for the Croweaters last season. Capable of playing any role on the field, her forward opportunity this season for the 9-1 Eagles has seen her boot 10 majors to be the most of any non-key position player in the league. She is a fierce tackler, will be involved at half-back, wing and then suddenly be on a lead inside 50 such is her incredible running power. In the absence of Christina Leuzzi on the weekend, Trengove played full-time midfield and dominated.”

Robbie Neil (South Australian Talent Manager – Female Programs)

“Imogen has played mainly as a small, high-forward for Woodville-West Torrens this season and her form has been outstanding. The feature of her game has been her speed and agility and when you combine that with top end work rate, she is a handful for any small defender. She does spend time in the midfield, however most of her game has been in the forward half. She has taken her game to another level in 2025.”

Narelle Smith (Woodville-West Torrens SANFLW coach – Preseason)

“Immy’s an absolute offensive machine. We’re trying to layer that with some defensive play and I think it’s probably a trend that is linked to our club is that we’re not afraid to play youth and we’re also not afraid to spin them around in different positions. If I look at Grace (Martin) and (Shineah) Goody before they were drafted, they both played wing, mid, back, forward so they can experience all these different positions and the nuances that go with that and then it prepares them well if they’re lucky enough to be drafted.”

Imogen Trengove (Preseason)

“I love playing in the midfield, it’s probably my favourite, and I recently been playing a bit more on the wing which is lots of fun, and then I do love being up forward as well, so I don’t really mind. I definitely feel like I’m more of an attacking player, so any of those roles.”

>> PROFILED: 2025 South Australian Under 18s Girls squad

Peter Williams (Rookie Me Central Chief Editor)

“Waye has an outstanding work rate that enables her to cover far more ground than you would expect from a traditional half-forward. Almost a second wing – even when not playing on the wing – Waye can win touches at half-back and then follow up to win multiple touches within the one chain. Her speed and endurance mix is very good and she has gone to another level in 2025 after a very good 2024. Waye won seven clearances in her most recent match, further illustrating her versatility being being able to get around the coalface and extract the ball for her teammates.”

Robbie Neil (South Australian Talent Manager – Female Programs)

“Lucy has a good athletic profile and plays as a strong, hybrid type forward for West Adelaide with the capacity to play in the midfield. She has good speed and agility and an uncanny knack of finding the ball. She is very calm with ball in hand and makes good decisions with execution to match. She has hit the scoreboard regularly for the Bloods in 2025 and has been arguably their most consistent performer to this point of the season.”

Bruce Dawes (West Adelaide SANFLW coach – Preseason)

“To her credit she finished off the season really well last year. Got her opportunity in the League squad and played the last half dozen games in the League where she was able to bring that speed that you just can’t teach. Her skills have been really good and again I think the taste of playing League football last year, she was another one who worked really hard in the off-season so she came back really fit, really keen and so she’s been a massive asset for us and she’ll play a lot of League football for us as that forward/mid role.”

Lucy Waye (Preseason)

“I’ve been rotating in the mid this preseason which I’m really enjoying because I’m one of the experienced players even though I’ve only been there a couple of years. I do like playing forward, but I also have been getting a run in the mid. I’d say I’m pretty quick and a lot of determination, like see ball, get ball, repeat efforts, I just won’t stop going at the ball. “

SIMILARITIES

• Work rate

• Versatility

• Tackling pressure

• Footy IQ

• Athleticism

Both players are renowned for the above qualities which sets them aside from a lot of other players in their draft class. They have played a wide range of positions, with both having played as half-forwards and wings, while also spending time on-ball of late. Trengove has the added ability to have spent time in defence in the past as well, though is a naturally offensive player, while Waye often works up to half-back such is her determination and gut running.

Both have high footy IQ but are slightly different in the way they use it. Trengove makes great decisions with ball in hand to really impact the play often setting up multiple scoring chances forward of centre. Waye on the other hand uses her smarts to consistently get into ball-winning positions, which is why her “floor” is so high compared to a lot of her peers.

POINTS OF DIFFERENCE

Disposal

Trengove is more efficient user by foot, but also largely does her work on the outside in space compared to Waye who will often work up to a contest and extract it from there. At speed or under pressure Trengove can refine her kicking a little more which she identified in the preseason, but as a whole when she has time and space can be ultra damaging. Waye uses the ball well through her strong decision making, and her short kicking is effective, while her longer kicking gets to the right zones even if not completely precise.

From a hands perspective, both are ultra clean at ground level, with Waye particularly so as she can pick up the ball at full speed or off hands without any worries. The West Adelaide player is a stronger first-possession player, while Trengove does her best work off the second possession, but still naturally finds her own ball and will often do so running into space.

Marking

The aerial contest is where Waye really shines. Both players are not too dissimilar in their heights, but as a natural forward, Waye competes strongly in the air and can present up the ground on a lead, or double back and find space inside 50. Trengove’s running is full speed and she is more likely to win the ball through a handball receive or loose in front of her more so than a mark. Further more with the makeup of the sides, Trengove has three key forwards around her inside 50 who will be the main targets, while Waye has a mix of forwards in West Adelaide’s front half so she can share the aerial load.

Contested work

Waye is the higher contested ball-winner just as that aggressive player who as she put it, has a “see ball, get ball” attitude towards the contest. Trengove is no slouch either in that regard but as previously mentioned will more likely be the second or third possession winner in a chain from the contest, and has also spent a lot of time on the outside.

On the weekend, Trengove had more of a taste through the middle due to Leuzzi’s absence, but even so, the likes of Lucy Moore and Maia Freemantle are big first possession winners which enabled Trengove’s run and carry to shine in the young on-ball group.

Offensive game

As shown on the stats sheet, Trengove has been able to boot 10 goals but has also predominantly played inside 50 and complemented the Eagles firepower. She has had a lot of scoring chances compared to Waye, who has still managed to convert five goals. The way they hit the scoreboard is also different, with Trengove scoring in just four games (hauls of two and three goals twice), while Waye has scored in five different games (all solitary majors).

Even within the season itself, Waye has been able to directly influence the scoreboard more in the past month, with a goal in four of her past five games after just one in her first five. A mirror of consistency, Waye has not dipped into the single digit disposals and has even taken five or more marks on four occasions with a mark in each game.

Defensive game

Waye’s focus on the defensive elements and being a two-way runner stand out in her game and she has laid multiple tackles in all 10 of her SANFLW matches just like Trengove. The Eagles star had a season-high 11 tackles on the weekend which significantly bumped up her average – previous game-high in 2025 was five – while Waye has laid five or more tackles on five occasions.

In terms of playing as a defensive forward, both players have the athleticism, but Waye’s contested nature and high-level competitive attitude make her a perfect fit for the role. She is one who will be accountable and work over an opponent, where Trengove can run off her opponent and punish them on the scoreboard the moment the turnover occurs.

SUMMARY

As stated in the beginning, the article is not about trying to decipher which player is superior because at the end of the day, both are fantastic talents who realistically should be in consideration for the AFLW Draft. They are proven against senior opposition at SANFLW level in a multitude of positions, and while each have their points of difference, ultimately offer a balance of offensive and defensive traits while having great footy IQ and athleticism.